United States
NYC Residents Suggesting Locations for New Bike Share Stations
Earlier this week, New York City officials announced a new bikeshare system that will be available to New Yorkers in 2012.
Use the Mortgage Interest Deduction to Channel Smart Growth
Galina Tachieva of DPZ argues that targeting mortgage interest deductions to benefit infill development and denser living would be an effective way to fight sprawl.
Feds and Orgs Team Up to Boost Creative Placemaking
Rocco Landesman, Chairman of the NEA, has long make the link between the arts and economic development. He is one of the big hitters behind ArtPlace, a public-private collaboration to foster creative placemaking.
Here Comes the Walmart Express
The megaretailer is part of a trend to rethink and shrink stores, as big boxes around the country have seen their sales plummet.
Fed. Transpo' Extension Halted Over Bike Funding
U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, came through with his promise to stop the clean extension of the transportation bill - and extension of the fed. gas tax, over the inclusion of what are known as 'enhancements' including bike/ped/livability programs.
Top Food Cities in the U.S.
Travel+Leisure polls its readers for the best cities for foodies, with New Orleans taking the top spot.
Farm Chic is the Latest Trend in Housing Developments
In the '00s, housing built around golf courses was all the rage. Stephanie Simon reports that today's consumer wants to live next to an organic farm, vineyard or other micro-rural setting.
House Approves 'Clean' Transportation Extension Bill
After a mere 45 minutes of debate on the House floor, Obama's requested transportation bill extension was approved by voice vote - unanimously. The extension will be for six months (not four as Senate committee had approved) and extends the gas tax.
The "Growing Divide" Between Cities With Kids and Cities Without Them
William Frey with the Brookings Institution explains that 1/3rd of the largest cities in the U.S. have seen significant losses of kids under 15, while babies are booming in the Southwest, Utah and Idaho.
Despite Ailing Economy, Manufacturing Spurs Cities' Growth
Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Titusvilla, Florida are metropolitan areas that grew faster than the national average in 2010, reports Ben Casselman for The Wall Street Journal.
"I Don't Believe People Are Going to Give Up On Wheels"
Michael Schrage, a MIT Sloan School of Management transportation research fellow, explains why he thinks people will never give up on driving and what he thinks the options are.
Streetcar Manufacturers See Boom Ahead in U.S.
At least 80 U.S. and Canadian cities have a streetcar system in the works or are considering it, says APTA. Julie Sneider at Progressive Railroading says transit manufacturers are seeing opportunity in those numbers.
WalMart/Big Box Subsidies Don't Work, Says New Study
When governments use public money to woo national chains, economic growth and job creation aren't worth the cost, says Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Independent retailers also suffer.
The Art of Abandonment
Artists are using the vacant buildings of the Rust Belt to create their art, and to comment on possibilities and visions for the future.
Urbanism Without Effort
Chuck Wolfe says that urbanism that can readily occur in urban neighborhoods "without really trying" as people naturally come together in impromptu ways.
Hispanic Population Booms in Unlikely Pennsylvania Location
Lehigh Valley, PA, which includes Allentown and Bethlehem, seems an unlikely place to find an exploding Hispanic population. Caitlin Dewey explains why Latinos have taken to this part of the Rust Belt.
IBM Releases "Commuter Pain Index"
A survey of over 8,000 commuters in 20 cities across 6 continents yields an alarming result. By and large, commuters in emerging economies face traffic conditions that are far worse than those who live in the U.S. and Europe.
L.A. Ousts a Car Lane for Bikes
The unfathomable happened this week in Southern California when L.A. converted 2.2 miles of road into a bike lane that stretches along 7th Street from Koreatown to Downtown.
Friday Funny: Open-Source Bathrooms?
A yet-to-be-released iPhone app will give users access to a Google Maps overlay showing the location of the nearest private bathrooms that your friends (and friends of friends) have agreed to let you use.
Pagination
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority